The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to energy management, and more particularly to energy management at a neighborhood or system level.
Electric utilities use methods such as voltage reductions, rolling blackouts or direct load control (cycling of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems) to prevent outages during periods when energy generation cannot meet the system demand. Also, similar methods are used on a local level if the capacity of distribution system components cannot support the local demand. Such methods result in major disruption to consumers, significantly impacting their quality of life and in some cases harming equipment in homes. In addition, such methods are applied at a bulk level and cannot be adjusted to reduce power by a determined controlled amount.